What It's Like
by NoDaybutTooDay
Summary: AU. Kurt became pregnant at 12 and now he's made fun of constantly? Will the new kid, Noah Puckerman, change his views on the world or just be another person who picks on him?
1. Chapter 1

**What It's Like**

_God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes_

_Cause then you really might know what it's like to sing the blues_

**Part One**

Burt came into the bathroom, hearing the sounds of someone being violently ill. He saw Kurt on the floor, laying against the toilet, tears streaming down his face. He moved to sit next to his son. "Hey buddy, not feeling so well?" he asked.

"Dad, I-" he was cut off, hunching up and leaning over the toilet once again. There was clearly nothing left in his stomach and he was just dry-heaving.

"Let's get you back to bed, we'll get a bowl for you, okay?"

"Do I have to go to school tomorrow?" he asked. Burt chuckled.

"No." he promised. Kurt was clearly too weak to get off the floor, so Burt scooped him up. He knew he wasn't going to be able to do this for much longer. His little boy was not so little anymore, he was almost 13 years old. A teenager. Burt couldn't believe it.

Burt wasn't concerned when during the day, Kurt got to feeling much better. It must have been something he ate or just a little bug. However, two weeks later when Kurt got up every night about the same time (2 a.m.) and vomited, _then_ Burt was concerned. He and Kurt both knew, of course, that Kurt was a carrier. He just couldn't bring himself to believe that his baby boy was having sex.

Burt took him to the doctor and had them run a pregnancy test. Kurt was tired and jumpy and he refused to look at Burt the whole time. When the doctor came back, they both knew immediately by the look on his face what the results were. Pregnant. Kurt was only 12 years old and he was pregnant. Burt asked the doctor to leave them alone for a minute. "How could you, Kurt? You knew this could happen! You are WAY too young to be having sex."

"I didn't." Kurt mumbled, fighting back tears.

"Don't tell me that, we've got the proof right here!" Burt yelled. "You are TWELVE." He said, somewhat desperately.

"I didn't want to, Daddy!" Kurt began to sob, and then Burt turned back to him. An icy fear was settling itself in his stomach.

"What?" he asked.

"I said no. I told him I didn't want to, I told him I was a carrier, but he made me. I said no, Daddy. Daddy, please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry!" Kurt sobbed. Burt moved over to him, wrapping his son in a hug.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Burt asked.

"He said he'd kill me if I told." Kurt mumbled into Burt's shirt.

"Who did this to you?" Burt's voice was dangerous and scary.

"Mr. Jameson." Kurt's piano teacher. Oh God, Kurt had wanted to quit lessons, but Burt made him keep going. Burt held his son tightly and rubbed his back.

"Okay, baby, it's going to be okay. Shh, shh, don't cry. Everything will be okay, I promise."

The next nine months were the scariest of both of their lives. Kurt told Burt that he couldn't abort the baby and he didn't want to give it up either. Burt agreed to help them out, supporting Kurt until he finished high school. He couldn't imagine killing something that was a part of Kurt, and he couldn't imagine giving it away either. They filed a report against Mr. Jameson and he was arrested.

Kurt had continued at school until he began to show. The other kids made his life such hell that finally Burt pulled him out to home school him for the rest of the time he was pregnant.

Towards the end of June, Kurt could hardly get out of bed. His tiny body was so swollen with the baby. They didn't know the sex, Kurt decided he wanted it to be a surprise, though he was insistent that it was a girl. Burt was in the kitchen, when he heard Kurt yell.

Kurt was sitting in a puddle of water, grasping at his belly. "Oh, God, Daddy I'm scared!" he said.

Burt held him tightly, then helped him out of bed and into the car. Along the way, Kurt had his first contraction, which simultaneously hurt like hell and terrified him beyond belief. "Ow!" he screamed. "Dad!" he cried out. Burt took one hand off the steering wheel and reached over to grab Kurt's hand. Kurt gripped it tightly.

"It's okay, kiddo, just breathe through the pain. You'll be okay, I promise."

"It hurts!"

"I know it does, but just think, very soon you'll get to see your little baby." Burt promised him.

The next couple hours were horrible. Burt kept flashing to sitting by his wife's side while she gave birth to Kurt, and now, just thirteen years later, he was sitting by his son's side as he gave birth. After four hours of contractions, Kurt begged for an epidural and they gave it to him. Kurt slept and Burt sat by his side, watching the monitors show the contractions that he could no longer feel.

A couple hours later, the doctor woke him up and told him it was time to start pushing. Kurt pushed for an hour, struggling to get the small life out of his body. Finally, at 12:42 a.m. on June 26, Kurt gave birth. The doctor passed the squalling infant up through Kurt's legs and laid it on his chest.

"Dad?" Kurt panted, exhausted. "What is it?"

Burt peeked between the baby's legs. "It's a girl, Kurt, you were right." Burt had tears streaming down his face.

"She's so pretty." Kurt said, in awe.

"She looks exactly like you did when you were born." Burt smiled. Kurt looked up at him.

"Really?" Burt nodded the confirmation.

"So, are you ever going to tell me her name?" Burt teased gently.

"Kassie." Kurt said, his eyes never leaving his daughter. "For Mom."

Two and a half years later found Kurt in the middle of his freshman year of high school. Kassie was a bright, beautiful and energetic child. But Kurt was young and had no trouble keeping up with her. He loved her with all his heart. He didn't really have any friends. He got teased, and name called, and thrown in the dumpster daily. Everyone still called him a slut, but he just walked down the halls and ignored it. Kurt was smart and even taking care of a two and a half year old, he was acing all of his classes.

Then one day, a sign went up for a new Glee Club. Kurt had never gone out of the old Glee Club, because Mr. Ryerson reminded him of Mr. Jameson. But Mr. Schuester, the Spanish teacher, would be running this club. Mr. Schuester was a little dense sometimes, but Kurt loved to sing.

He came home from school that day and was greeted the same way he always was. The toddler came running over to him. "Daddy!" she'd cry, and he'd pick her up, hold her close, and smother her with kisses. No matter how bad his day had been, all it took was her bright smile to cheer him up. It would only be four more years and then he could get them out of this town. "Miss you!"

"I missed you, too, pumpkin. Were you a good girl for Papa today?" he asked, carrying her into the kitchen.

She nodded, her light brown curls spilling all over her face. Burt was sitting at the kitchen table and smiled at his son. "She was very good today." Burt promised. Kurt smiled widely and leaned in, so he was touching noses with the little girl.

"Why don't you go pick out a movie? Daddy doesn't have any homework tonight, so we can just be together." Kurt told her, setting her down on the ground.

"Yay!" she cried, running off towards where they kept the DVDs.

"What's up, kiddo?" Burt asked, noting the look on Kurt's face.

"Tomorrow, they're holding auditions for a new Glee Club. I was wondering if it was okay if I went?" Kurt knew that his dad would say okay. But Burt kept Kassie during the day when he was in school and Kurt would never just join an after-school activity without checking with his dad first. Not for the first time Kurt wondered what it would be like to be a normal teenager, and not have to worry about things like that.

"What's the schedule look like?" Burt asked.

"Well, it's actually going to be a class, so it would just consist of one afternoon a week, to have extra practice in the auditorium." Kurt had asked Mr. Schuester this exact question.

"Honestly, I think it would be good for you. You need to make some friends." Burt told him.

"I don't need any friends, I've got Kassie." Kurt said. This was a regular argument of theirs.

"You need friends your own age. Kassie is wonderful, but you're a teenager-" "I'm a teenager with a toddler." Kurt sighed. "Maybe I'll make some friends in Glee, but I doubt it. I'm still the class slut." he sighed. Those words hurt the most, but he never bothered to correct people. They hadn't believed him two years ago, why start now?

Kassie came running back in then, a copy of Beauty and the Beast in her hands. "You are your daddy's daughter, aren't you, baby?" he teased. She frowned at him quizzically, but he scooped her up and took her down to their room. He was glad that he could spent some quality time with her. It was hard with school.

Kurt's audition the next day was flawless. He had spoken with Mr. Schuester and had made sure that the teacher was well aware that if there were extra rehearsals beyond the one a week, or any field trips, that he would either have to know way ahead of time, or be allowed to miss them. He was granted permission.

On the first day of rehearsals, Kurt looked around the room. Rachel Berry, who was in everything and was always everywhere, was there. That didn't surprise him. Although, he was okay with her. She had never been outright mean to him and had tried to be his friend when he got pregnant. His hormones, however, had different ideas and he'd pushed her away.

Mercedes Jones, Kurt didn't really know her at all. But she smiled and waved at him anyway. There was a kid in a wheelchair, and an Asian Goth girl he didn't know at all. Then there was the new kid. He had just transferred here, midyear, and had only been at the school for a couple of weeks. He was gorgeous and on the football team. Kurt wondered what on earth possessed him to try out for Glee Club. His name was Noah Puckerman, but everyone called him Puck.

Mr. Schuester made them talk about themselves on the first day. No one said much of anything, especially Kurt. In fact, the only words that had come out of his mouth was his name. By the third rehearsal, Finn Hudson, quarterback of the football had joined their ranks. One day, when Mr. Schuester was running late, they had all gotten to talking. Kurt was quietly keeping to himself in the background, when suddenly, the conversation was about him. He had on headphones, but the song changed when he heard his name. Discreetly, he pushed pause to hear what they were saying.

Puck was the one who started it. "So what's his deal?" he asked, nodding at Kurt.

"Kurt?" Finn asked, and Puck nodded. "Oh, he doesn't talk to anyone."

"Not since junior high, anyway." Rachel added.

"What happened in junior high?" Puck inquired.

"He got himself knocked up." Finn chuckled and Kurt flushed red, keeping his eyes trained on his ipod.

"What?" Puck asked.

"Yeah, it was a really big scandal. He started getting bigger, and then it got confirmed that he was pregnant. Pretty soon after that, his dad pulled him out of school and he didn't come back until halfway through the next year."

"I heard he slept around for money." Artie said, and despite himself, tears started to form in his eyes.

"I h-heard he was t-trying to blackmail the father." Tina piped in. Kurt couldn't take it anymore. He pulled his headphones out.

"And did anyone BOTHER to ask me what happened?" he said, tears of anger running down his face. Everyone turned, shocked and embarrassed, to look at him. "Did everyone just assume that because I'm GAY, I must have been asking for it? That I was out sleeping around with everything that moved? For your information, I was RAPED. I chose to keep my baby because I could never just throw her life away."

There was silence. "You were raped?" Rachel finally asked.

"You kept your baby?" Mercedes said.

"Yes, I kept my baby." Kurt spat. Puck stood up then.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause trouble. I was just curious. You never say anything, this is the only extra-curricular activity you do." Kurt sighed, sitting back down.

"It's not your fault everyone at this school thinks I'm a slut."

"We're really sorry, Kurt." Artie said.

"I know you keep to yourself, and I really get why. It must be hard to be raise a baby on your own." Mercedes agreed.

"I'm not exactly on my own. My dad helps out…a LOT." Kurt said.

"What's her n-name?" Tina asked. Kurt smiled then, thinking about Kassie always made him smile.

"Kassie." he said.

"Do you…could we see a picture?" Rachel finally asked. Kurt looked around the room warily. He really didn't trust anyone, but he felt like maybe he could trust this group.

"You know, no one's ever asked me that before." he said, after a minute. Rachel moved over to sit next to him then. Then, Mercedes claimed his other side. Soon the entire club was sitting around Kurt. Giving a hesitant smile, he reached into his bag and pulled out his phone. He clicked on a picture he had taken just a few days ago. Kurt was holding her tightly and they were both smiling for the camera.

"She's beautiful." Tina said.

"She looks exactly like you!" Rachel exclaimed. Kurt smiled softly.

"She always has." He swallowed. "I'm really thankful for that."

Just then Mr. Schuester came in, apologized for being late, and started rehearsal. After that, Kurt suddenly had friends. They talked to him during class, and they walked together in the halls. They even formed their own table at lunch. Kurt always politely declined offers of coming over for studying, or for bonding, and he never invited them to his place.

After a couple of weeks, Mr. Schuester told them they'd be taking a trip to Carmel High to see their competition. Kurt protested immediately, reminding Mr. Schuester that he needed more notice than this. Mr. Schuester told him that if he couldn't come, then that was alright. But Kurt wanted to go, he wanted to spend time with his friends. He knew, though, that Saturdays Burt couldn't take Kassie. He worked full time in the garage on Saturdays. "Do you think…I mean, would it be okay if I brought my daughter with us?" Kurt asked him, suddenly.

"I don't know, Kurt, I mean, it's going to be a concert. She's awfully little, do you think she can sit still that long?" Mr. Schuester hesitated.

"She'll be totally fine. I've taken her to things like this before. And if she gets fussy, I'll just take her out." Kurt pleaded. Finally, he agreed. Kurt was so excited, until he realized that no one, outside of his family, had ever met Kassie. In the end, he begged off, claiming that Kassie was sick and that he needed to stay home and take care of her.

More people joined Glee club. Three Cheerios and two more football players, giving them the twelve people they needed to compete. The newbies, especially the three Cheerios, were mean to Kurt when they first started, but both Puck and Finn came to his rescue. Once they understood the full situation, they laid off Kurt. Although, Kurt would never consider them friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Three months passed, and Kurt was the happiest he'd been in a very long time. He had friends, he had Glee, and he had Kassie. Then, Mr. Schuester assigned a duets project for the week. Names were chosen from the "hat of fate", and Kurt found himself paired with Puck. Puck wanted to rehearse after school in the auditorium, but Kurt told him that he couldn't do it. Kurt wanted to just rehearse during class, but Puck wanted to do more than that. Finally, Kurt had to remind him that he had a daughter at home, one he had to attend to when school was out.

Puck invited himself over. After school, Kurt paced his house incessantly. He was so nervous, and he couldn't explain why. Burt was working tonight, so it would be just the three of them in the house. Kassie had picked up on her dad's tension, and after a bad day anyway, she was just full out crying. Kurt held her, trying to rock her soothingly, but she just continued to sob. Finally, Kurt moved over to the old rocking chair and sat down with her.

"Okay, baby girl, its okay. Just calm down. Daddy's here and he's sorry that he made you worry. It'll be okay."

"D-daddy?" she hiccupped. He patted her back as he continued to rock.

"Yep, I'm right here baby." he promised her. When she stopped crying, he took her into the kitchen to fix her a cup of juice. She wouldn't allow him to put her down, so he was carrying her when the doorbell rang. "Come on, sweetheart." he said, shifting her weight and, heart pounding, moved to the door.

Kassie was sucking out of the little sippy cup, her head laying on Kurt's shoulder. Kurt took a deep breath, and pulled open the door. Puck was standing there, holding a guitar case. Puck's eyes widened at the sight of Kassie. He had known Kurt had a daughter, and had known that he would meet her tonight, but her actual presence seemed to shock him. "Hey Puck." Kurt said.

"Hi." he said, staring at the little girl in his arms. As if he couldn't help himself, he smiled at her. She lowered the cup and looked at him, as if trying to decide what to think of him. "Hi, cutie." he said, in a strange, syrupy voice. That did it, she broke out her million watt grin that someone was paying attention to her.

"Who dat?" she asked, turning to her daddy.

"This is Daddy's friend, Puck."

"Uck." she tried.

"Close enough." Puck said. "Do I get to come in or are we going to practice with me on the porch?"

"Oh, sorry." Kurt said, stepping aside and letting him through the door. When Puck was inside, it was even more awkward. Finally, Puck held his hands out to Kassie.

"Can I hold her?" he asked.

Kurt shrugged, and looked at Kassie. "Do you want to go say hi?" he asked her. She ducked her head, shyly, but then leaned forward to let Puck take her.

"Uck." she said, again. Puck took her and settled her on his hip, like Kurt had been holding her. She looked at him for a minute, as if trying to decide how she felt about him. Then she laid her head down on his shoulder and yawned. Kurt couldn't help the affectionate smile that came across his face. Puck noticed, of course. "You really love her."

"She's my daughter." Kurt said, simply.

"I know, but considering…how she got here-" Kurt cut him off.

"Look at her, she looks exactly like me. That is MY daughter and no one else's. It doesn't matter to me HOW she got here, the only thing that matters is that she IS here. I love her more than anything in the world." Kurt said, passionately. He moved forward, taking her back, and cuddling her to his chest. As if sensing his discomfort, Kassie cuddled close.

"Isses?" she asked. Kurt smiled and pulled back, placing big kisses all over her little face.

"Always, kisses for my baby." he said. Puck shifted uncomfortably.

"I didn't mean to be rude. I just…ever since you told us, I just couldn't even imagine it. Besides, at school, you're kind of cold. I guess I just assumed you were that way at home, too." That made Kurt smile.

"The kids at school have never made life easy for me. I don't let them see anything, because I know it'll be used against me. Kassie is my life, Puck, nothing on earth means more to me than she does."

"I see that now." Puck said, and Kurt blushed under the gaze. "Okay, so duet. Schuester said we could do anything and I had a couple of ideas."

"Me, too. Come on, Kassie and I live in the basement. There's a piano down there and I can give her some toys to play with until she falls asleep. She's had kind of a rough day, so I'm betting she'll go down early."

"Do you ever sing for her?" Puck asked, following Kurt to a door that led to a stairway.

"All the time, she loves it."

Kurt set Kassie, who was now much more content, in the sectioned off area of the floor with some toys. He knew she'd lose interest in the toys once they started singing, but hopefully, she'd fall asleep within the hour. "Okay, so I was thinking that maybe we could do 'Two Worlds' from Tarzan?" Kurt suggested.

"I don't really think Disney is going to get anyone to take us seriously." Puck told him. "Have you ever heard 'Happy Ending' by Mika?"

"Yes, I've heard it, but I can't do that." Kurt told him. Puck wanted to question, but he just nodded his head. "'Overkill' by Colin Hay?" Puck shrugged, not shooting it down.

"'Don't Ask Me Why' by Billy Joel?" He countered. Kurt turned and smiled at him, and Puck grinned back.

"Billy Joel?" Kurt questioned.

"Hey, he is one rocking Jewish dude." Puck defended.

"I like Billy Joel, I actually think that might work for us." Kurt agreed, then gestured to the guitar. "Do you know how to play it?"

"Yeah." Puck opened up the case and then spent a minute tuning the guitar. "Why don't we sing through it and then we can figure out how to split it up?"

Puck sat down on a couch and Kurt sat down across from him, head bopping to the beat as Puck started to play. They sang through the whole song and then grinned at each other. Kassie's voice startled them both. "More!" she cried out, staring at the two boys. They both grinned and Kurt walked over to her, picking her up.

"Did you like that?" He asked, rubbing noses with the baby.

"Daddy and Uck sing pretty!" she said, causing them both to laugh. With Kassie on Kurt's lap, and Puck plucking out the chords, they spilt the song. They each had solos and then there were parts they sang together. Kassie giggled and clapped as they sang, but eventually started yawning and her eyes started drooping.

"Let me get her ready for bed and then we can finish up, okay?" Kurt asked.

"Can I help you with anything?" Puck asked. The question took him completely by surprise. His dad helped, of course, but Kurt was so used to doing everything for himself that it took him a minute to even think of what he could do.

"Would you mind fixing her a bottle?" Kurt asked, he pointed to the kitchenette. "In the fridge, there are ones that are already made up. Just take the lid off and pop it in the microwave for thirty-five seconds." He instructed. Puck nodded and headed off to the task.

Kurt carried the sleepy child to the changing table, stripped off her clothes, changed her diaper, and put her in her sleeper. She was sucking on her wrist, a clear sign that she was very tired. Kurt kept an eye out for Puck, surprised when he saw Puck test the milk on his wrist.

"It's not all that hot." he said.

"I know, she's fussy, she doesn't like it too hot or too cold. She likes it lukewarm." Kurt made a face. "I'm impressed that you know how to do that."

"I have a little sister." He said, his face suddenly impassive and cold. Kurt knew better than to press the issue. Kurt picked up Kassie, cuddling her close for a minute. He pressed kisses to her temple, then walked her over to her crib. He took the bottle from Puck and handed it to her, laying her down, then raising the side of the crib. He looked at her for a moment, stroking her soft curls gently.

"Love you, baby." he said, leaning down to kiss her one last time. She held onto the bottle, drinking lightly, then rolled over and closed her eyes. He smiled affectionately again, then nodded to the stairs. Kurt turned on the baby monitor by her bed and then grabbed the second one. Puck led the way up, with Kurt flipping on a night-light, and shutting off the main lights. Once they were upstairs, Kurt turned on the other monitor and closed the door. They sat down at the kitchen table. "Sorry." Kurt apologized.

"Why are you sorry?"

"That our rehearsal schedule has to revolve around taking care of my daughter." Kurt was shocked to find his eyes filling with tears.

"I knew you had a baby, Kurt." Puck told him. "I knew coming over here tonight wasn't going to be like school. It's not a problem and you don't need to apologize." To Puck's horror, Kurt started to sob. He scooted his chair over and clumsily placed a hand on Kurt's back. "Hey, its okay."

"Do you…do you think we could maybe finish this another time?" he asked, between sobs.

"Yes." Puck agreed, not moving from where he was.

"You don't have to stay here."

"Don't get mad, but can I ask you a question?" Puck said, after a moment. Kurt nodded. "Do you have any friends?"

Kurt looked up at him, then, his eyes sad. "Who wants to be friends with the class slut who got himself knocked up at 12 and now has a baby to take care of?"

"I do." Kurt cocked his head to the side.

"Why?" he asked. "You could be popular, you could be the king of McKinley. None of that will happen if you hang around me."

"I don't really care about things like that. I was popular at my old school…its not all its cracked up to be." Puck said, eyes downcast. "I'd rather have a real friend, someone I can trust. I think we could be friends."

"I don't get it." Kurt said.

"You. Me. Friends?" Puck asked, grinning at him. Kurt wiped his eyes and smiled back.

"Friends." Just then, the front door opened and Burt walked in. Seeing Kurt crying, he immediately began to glare at the boy sitting in his kitchen. "Hi Dad!" Kurt said, forcing brightness into his voice. "This is Puck, from Glee Club."

"Puck?" he asked.

"It's short for Puckerman, my last name." Puck said, offering his hand for Burt to shake. "Kurt and I are partners on a duet assignment."

"Oh." he said. "Is Kassie asleep?"

"I just put her down, she might still be awake if you want to go see her." Kurt said.

"I'm just going to go kiss her goodnight." Burt said, shedding his shoes and coat.

"I probably should be heading home." Puck said. "Thanks for everything, tonight, Kurt." He stood up, and then stopped at the edge of the kitchen. "Kassie's a real sweetheart, you're very lucky."

Kurt smiled. "Thanks, really." he said, and Puck nodded at him. Kurt let him out as Burt headed downstairs. Once Puck had left and Kurt locked up behind him, Kurt headed downstairs. Burt was standing over Kassie's crib, watching the sleeping baby. Kurt went and stood next to him. Kassie was asleep, the bottle in one hand, her stuffed bunny "Boo Boo" in the other hand.

Burt looked at Kurt's face, shining with excitement. He hadn't seen him look this happy in a very long time. "I have a friend." he said. And Burt did the only thing he could do, he turned and pulled his son into a hug.

The next day, Kurt drove Puck back to his house after school so they could practice again. They hadn't gotten much practice in and they would have to perform tomorrow. Kurt unlocked the door and heard Kassie running to him. "Daddy! Daddy!" she called, launching herself into his arms. He scooped her up, hugged her tight, and peppered her with kisses.

"Hi baby! I missed you, were you a good girl today?" he asked. She nodded, then noticed Puck was here.

"Uck!" she cried, leaning over to him. He was surprised, to say the least, but he took the baby from Kurt. He chanced a glance at Kurt, who was grinning widely.

"Uh oh, I think you've got a fan." Kurt teased. Puck hugged the baby lightly, patting her little back.

"Don't worry, the feeling is mutual." Kurt reached for Kassie, settled her on his hip, and headed into the kitchen.

"Hi Dad." Kurt greeted, as Kassie laid her head on his shoulder. She missed her daddy during the day and was always thrilled to have him home. "You remember Puck?" he asked.

"Yeah." Burt nodded a greeting.

"We've got to practice, but I'll take Kassie with us." Kurt said. "Are you going to the garage?"

"Yeah, I'd planned to stay open late tonight. I'll probably close up around 9." Burt told him.

"Okay, Dad. Anything happen today?" he asked, bouncing Kassie a little, making her giggle.

"Nah, she was good today. Right baby?" he asked Kassie, reaching for her. She hugged Burt tightly.

"Bye bye Papa." she said, kissing his cheek.

"You be a good girl for Daddy and Puck." He told her and she nodded. Kurt took her back and watched his dad leave, standing at the window with Kassie, waving goodbye. Puck was jealous, he wished that he had a family like that, but he said nothing.

"Okay, let's head downstairs and start practicing." Kurt said, once Burt was out of sight. The three of them headed downstairs and Kurt set Kassie in her play area once again. Kassie had no interest in the toys, however, she just sat and watched the two guys singing. They ran through the song several times, playing with the harmonies and perfecting it. Finally, they were both satisfied with it.

"Well, I guess I've invaded your home long enough. I should probably go." Puck said.

"If you wanted, you could stay for dinner." Kurt offered. "I'm a pretty decent cook. Unless, you need to get home or something."

"No, no one at my house cares." Kurt raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Good, then you can stay. You want to keep Kassie entertained while I start on dinner?" he asked.

"I don't really know how…to…" Puck stuttered, and Kurt laughed softly.

"It's fine, come on, we'll all go upstairs. You want some dinner, Kass?" Kurt asked. She nodded and raised her hands for Kurt to pick her up. He scooped her up with ease and then led the way upstairs. "I'll just throw on a movie, would you mind sitting with her?"

"Uh…" Puck hesitated.

"You'll be fine. She's low maintenance, just hold on to her and I'll cook, and then we can all eat some dinner." Without any further instruction, Kurt handed him Kassie and nodded towards the couch. He shifted her gently and sat down as Kurt moved to the TV and popped in a DVD. "Is Howl's Moving Castle okay with you? Kassie loves it."

"Really? Your two year old daughter like anime?"

"My daughter has good taste. I think she just likes all the colors and the music. She'd listen to the menu for hours on end if I'd let her." Sure enough, the menu popped up and her head turned.

"How!" she yelled, with joy, clapping her pudgy hands together. Kurt leaned over Puck and kissed her forehead.

"Stay here with Puck, okay?" She nodded and turned her attention back to the TV. Kurt started the DVD and headed into the kitchen to cook. He pulled out the stuff to make chicken, and then realized that he didn't know what Puck liked or if he had any allergies. He headed back to the living room and stopped short. Kassie was sitting sideways in Puck's lap, her head resting against his chest. He was gently rubbing her back and they were both engrossed in the movie. It felt domestic, but Kurt wouldn't allow himself to feel like that. He swallowed down the ache of longing for this to be real. "Hey Puck, I forgot to ask, do you have any allergies or anything?"

"Well, I'm Jewish, but I don't exactly keep kosher. And no allergies, at least none that I know about." Puck said, looking over the back of the couch at Kurt.

"I was going to make grilled chicken. Does that work for you?" he asked. Puck nodded. "Okay, it'll be ready in about an hour. Do you like steamed vegetables?"

"Anything you make will be fine, thanks." Puck said. Kurt happily cooked to the sounds of Howl's Moving Castle and his daughter and Puck giggling in the background. It almost reminded him of his own childhood, with his mother cooking while he and his dad sat together. He brushed away a few stray tears.

Forty five minutes later, he called out for his companions to join him. He heard the sounds of the movie stop and heard Kassie gasp and then giggle. Instinctively, he knew that Puck had just lifted her high up in the air. They walked into the kitchen with Kassie on Puck's hip. Kurt had set a plate for each of them on the table. The plastic plate, for Kassie, was sitting on the counter. Kurt took Kassie and helped the little girl wash her hands. Then he put her into her high chair and set the plate of cut up food in front of her. He also gave her a sippy cup full of juice.

"I didn't know what you'd want to drink." Kurt said. "We have water, pop, juice, and milk."

"I'll have some milk, please." Puck asked, looking at the table. "Um, does it matter where I sit?" he asked. Kurt smiled.

"Nope." he said, reaching into the fridge and pulling out the milk. He poured a glass each for him and for Puck, then brought them to the table. Kassie was trying to use her utensils (and mostly doing okay) and Kurt smiled at Puck. "Thanks for staying."

"Thanks for inviting me." They both dug into their dinners and ate. They chatted lightly about various things like school, classes, teachers, glee, and other students. It was one of the best times Kurt had ever had. When they were finished, Puck helped Kurt carry dishes to the sink and then dried them as Kurt washed.

Kassie sat in her high chair, entertaining herself while they did the dishes. When they were done, Kurt wiped up her face and hands and then took her out of the high chair and set her on the ground. She toddled over to Puck, grabbing his hand and pulling on him, looking at the living room. "How!" she told him.

They both laughed. "I think she wants to finish the movie." Kurt laughed.

"Is it okay with you?" Puck asked, picking her up.

"Sure. I'll join you." Kurt said, and the three of them headed to the living room. Kurt sat down next to Puck, who was holding Kassie, and they un-paused the movie. When Sofie and The Witch of the Waste were heading up to the castle, Kurt looked over at Puck. Kassie was engrossed in the movie and Puck gave him a questioning glance. "This part scares her." Kurt mouthed at him. Puck nodded.

Sure enough, as soon as the music started and the shadows started dancing around the Witch of the Waste, Kassie let out a little cry and turned. She looked at Puck and then to her daddy. She leaned over to Kurt and he took her in his arms. She buried her face in Kurt's chest and he rubbed her back lightly. "Shh, baby, it's okay."

"Scary." she said.

Kurt leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Daddy's got you. Daddy will never let anything happen to you."

"Love you, Daddy." she sighed, turning back now that the scary shadows were gone.

"I love you, too." Kurt told her.

They watched the rest of the movie and Puck finally left. Kurt gave Kassie a bath and got her ready for bed, changing her diaper, heating up her bottle, and tucking her into her crib. He sat by her crib for about ten minutes, watching her fall asleep, his heart filled with love for his little girl. Once she was truly out, Kurt turned on the monitor, grabbed the portable, and headed upstairs to do some homework.

Kurt didn't usually wait so long to get his homework done, but then again, he didn't usually have friends over to keep him company. Today had been the nicest day he'd had in a very long time. He couldn't wait for tomorrow, to perform the number they had worked on. He settled himself at the kitchen table, helped himself to a diet coke, and dug into his books. Three hours later, he finished up his last math problem and re-packed his book-bag for the morning.

Homework done, he checked briefly on Kassie and then turned on the TV. He didn't like going to bed before his dad got home, even if he was tired. His dad meant everything to him, he was his best friend (besides Kassie), and he really hadn't talked to him in two days. Camped out under a blanket on the couch, he watched some mindless sitcom and part of the news before he heard Burt's key in the door.

He clicked the television off and then smiled at his father as he walked through the door. His dad looked beat and Kurt couldn't help but feel bad. "Hey Dad."

"Hey kiddo. How'd your night go?"

Kurt couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "It went perfectly." He told his dad about their song, the dinner, and the movie. Burt listened with enthusiasm, glad his son had finally made a friend. When Kurt calmed down enough, Burt had to tell him some bad news.

"We had a guy come in a few minutes before we closed up shop, really did a number on the car. I know that you have Glee tomorrow, but you're going to have to take Kassie right after school." Burt told him. Kurt's heart sunk, he didn't want to miss the duet competition, but Kassie was HIS baby. He nodded, then remembered that Mr. Schuester had given everyone his cell phone in case they needed to contact him. Feeling a little strange, he texted his teacher.

"**Mr. Schue, this is Kurt. Would it be okay if I brought my daughter to Glee tomorrow? She won't be any trouble, I promise."** He got a text back three minutes later.

"**As long as she's not disruptive.**" Was the response. Kurt grinned from ear to ear and turned to his father.

"Can you drop Kassie off at the school? I'll bring her to Glee, Mr. Schuester says its okay." He rambled.

"Sure. I'll meet you at the front entrance at three, okay?" Kurt nodded, hugged his father goodnight and headed to bed. Kurt texted Puck, as well, letting him know that Kassie would be coming to Glee practice. He wasn't sure how the others would react to her, but seeing how Puck reacted made things a little better for him. He hoped that Kassie would be on her best behavior.

In the morning, Kurt got up and got in the shower before Kassie woke up. Once he got out of the shower, he grinned seeing Kassie sitting up in her crib, babbling to herself. He picked her up, changed her, and got her dressed. Then he brought her upstairs and fixed breakfast for both of them. As the day went on, Kurt became more and more nervous about Kassie coming to practice. The last period of the day, Kurt actually had to leave class, he felt physically sick. His last class was French, and Puck was in the class as well. He followed Kurt to the bathroom.

"You're not chickening out of our song, are you?" Puck teased gently.

"I'm worried about Kassie." he said.

"Why, is she not good around strangers?" he asked.

"No, she's fine. I'm just…worried how people will react to her, if she'll behave, things like that. I've always kept those parts of my life so separate." Kurt fought the tears that threatened to spill.

"First of all, as long as there's singing, I think she'll be fine." Kurt let out a little laugh at that. "Second, everyone will love her. She's a sweetheart." Puck assured him. Kurt nodded, drew a fortifying breath, and the bell rang. "Can I come with you to pick her up?" he asked. Kurt nodded and they headed down to the school's entrance.

Standing under the eave, Burt was holding Kassie who was looking around in fascination. He had a diaper bag slung over his shoulder. Upon seeing Kurt, she tried to get down, but being so close to the parking lot, Burt wouldn't allow it. "Daddy!" she shrieked. Kurt smiled and hurried over, taking Kassie from him.

"Hi love." He said, hugging her tightly. "Look who it is." He said, turning her towards Puck.

"Uck!" she cried out, and all three of them laughed. Puck took the diaper bag, while Kurt hugged his father, thanked him, and he took off. Kassie waved and called out. "Bye Papa! Love you!"

"Alright." Kurt said, taking a deep breath. "Now or never." He headed back into the school, Puck at his side, and headed for the choir room. They were actually the first ones there, besides Mr. Schuester. The teacher had a huge smile for the three of them.

"This must be your little girl, huh, Kurt?" he asked.

"This is Kassie. Kassie, this is Mr. Schue." She frowned, unable to work out the name. Mr. Schue held out his hands, as if asking if he could hold her. Kassie was a friendly child and leaned forward.

"You are just the cutest thing I've ever seen." He told her and she smiled up at him.

"Thank you for allowing this, Mr. Schue, my dad had an emergency at the garage. I really appreciate it." Kurt gushed.

"Of course." He bounced the baby, making her laugh. One by one, students began to filter in. Rachel, Tina, and Mercedes came in together.. They immediately moved over to the baby.

"Oh Kurt! Is this your baby? She's SO cute!" Rachel gushed and Kurt nodded, grinning like the proud papa he was.

"She looks JUST like you!" Mercedes said.

"Her name is Kassie." He told her.

"Hi Kassie!" Rachel cooed. Kassie was still in Mr. Schuester's arms and at the baby looked suddenly frightened at all the people. She looked around for her daddy and held her arms out to him.

"Oh, are you suddenly going to decide you're shy?" he asked, taking her. She buried her face in his shoulder and he could feel her trembling. His tone turned soothing. "It's okay, sweetheart, these are friends." She wouldn't lift her head. Kurt blushed and looked at the girls. "Sorry, she's not normally like this. I think she's a little overwhelmed."

Kurt moved over to the corner, rocking the scared child, and rubbing her back gently as the rest of New Directions filed in. Once he got her looking up, he was pointing around the room and telling her names. She was relaxing a little and smiled when she saw Puck wave at her. Once she was calm enough, he moved back over to the center of the classroom.

"Hey guys, as you can tell, we've got a new addition today." Mr. Schuester said, gesturing for Kurt to take the floor.

"Hi guys." He said, blushing. "This is my daughter, Kassie."

The entire team waved at her and she got very excited, waving back, cracking everyone up. Then he took his seat, next to Puck, and let Mr. Schuester begin the lesson. He asked how everyone's projects had gone and then explained how the winner would be chosen. After everyone had sung, they would all vote on the best duet. No one was allowed to vote for themselves.

Mr. Schuester asked for a volunteer pair to go first, and to nobody's surprise, Rachel stood up, dragging Mike (her partner) along with her. "Well, as I have an extensive library of songs I of course had a couple of suggestions for what we could do. Mike and I discussed it at length and ended up picking a song from the musical 'Next to Normal'. Brad, 'Song of Forgetting' in B, please."

Mike was really, really good. No one had ever heard him sing a solo before and the haunting melody and lyrics really suited him. Rachel was always good, but it was hard to tell her that because she came off so superior. They finished to applause, including Kassie. On their way back to their chairs, both kids gave the baby a high five.

Finn and Mercedes went next, singing an amazing arrangement of Michel Jackson's "Dirty Diana", followed by Tina and Santana doing "What is this Feeling?" from Wicked. After they were done, Kurt and Puck volunteered. Rachel was the sitting the closest and had been playing with the baby in between songs. They seemed to take to each other, so Kurt handed her Kassie while he got up. Puck sat on a stood with his guitar and Kurt stood next to him.

They introduced their song and sang through it flawlessly. When they were done, Puck put his fist up to fist bump with Kurt. The group applauded and Kassie was very excited. Kurt tried to take Kassie back, but Rachel seemed intent on keeping her.

Quinn and Brittany did a great performance of Jem's "Just a Ride", which left Artie and Matt to finish things up. They looked awkwardly at Kurt and at Kassie.

"Um, maybe we should wait for another time." Artie said.

"She won't judge you." Kurt said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it's not that." Matt jumped in. "It's just…our song is kind of inappropriate for a baby."

"What are you doing, guys?" Mr. Schuester asked. Artie wheeled over and whispered the title to him. Mr. Schuester nodded, a look of understanding crossing his face. "Kurt, I may have to agree with the guys."

"What are they doing?" Now he just wanted to know.

"Are you familiar with 'Spring Awakening'?" Mr. Schuester asked. Kurt nodded and was beginning to see why the fuss.

"She's heard the soundtrack before. It's not like she understands what any of it means." Kurt told them. "What song are you doing?"

"Bitch of Living." Matt finally muttered. "We just didn't want her repeating the words."

"Oh, well, thanks for the concern, but she'll be fine." Kurt assured them, finally wresting his daughter back from Rachel. He looked her in the eyes. "No repeating these words, okay baby?" He asked, nodding his head at Matt and Artie, letting her know exactly what she wasn't supposed to say.

"Kay, Daddy." She said, leaning forward and kissing his nose. Kurt nodded at them, as if to say 'go on'. After another quick look at Mr. Schuester, they shrugged and started their song. It was amazing and the guys were funny and on key. Kurt knew that he was going to vote for them.

Everyone wrote down their vote on a piece of paper, folded it and put it into the hat of fate. Then they all talked amongst themselves as Mr. Schuester counted the votes. Kassie was passed around the circle, starting with Matt, who felt the need to come over and hug the baby after his song. Kassie was enjoying the attention, but she kept looking back to check for her father. Every time, Kurt would smile at her letting her know that she was okay.

It only took Mr. Schuester a few minutes to count up the votes. "Great job, guys, everyone should be very proud of themselves. You all did wonderfully - even with pairings that you might not have chosen for yourselves. I hope you all learned a little something new this week." There was nodding around the room. Puck and Kurt exchanged a smile. Mr. Schuester looked at Kurt. "Kurt, will Kassie repeat names if I whisper them to her?"

"Sure." Kurt said.

"Okay, then I'm going to let Kassie announce our winners." Mr. Schuester moved over and picked up Kassie. She looked a little grouchy, she was tired of being passed around, but she let the teacher take her. Settling her on his hip, he whispered something into her ear and then turned her to the group.

"Daddy and Uck!" she cried out, happily. Both Kurt and Puck looked at each other in shock and stood up to receive the promised Breadstix certificate, as the entire club hooted and hollered. Puck took the certificate and Kurt took Kassie.

"Thanks guys." Puck said and Kurt nodded.

"You were awesome." Finn said.

"Wonderful tone and nice use of harmonies." Rachel agreed. Mr. Schuester dismissed Glee and Kurt went over to pick up his backpack and the diaper bag. He was having a hard time juggling everything, mostly because Kassie was now exhausted and laying on Kurt's shoulder, whining when she was jostled. Puck came over and picked up the two bags.

"You get the baby, I'll get the bags." He grinned. Kurt blushed and thanked him.

"You want a ride home?" Kurt offered, as they walked to his car.

"Yeah, thanks." Puck said. Kurt buckled Kassie into her car seat and Puck climbed in the passenger side. Once Kassie was settled, Kurt got in and started the car. "So, when do you want to go to Breadstix?"

"Puck, it's okay, you don't have to take me." Kurt said, smiling at him. Puck frowned and turned to look at him.

"Of course we're going, WE won the competition." Puck said.

"I don't understand." Kurt finally said.

"I thought we already established this. We're friends, right?" Puck asked, confusion lacing his voice.

"I thought…" Kurt began to choke up. "I kind of figured once the assignment was over, you wouldn't want to stay friends."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I haven't ever had a friend." Kurt finally said, tears slipping down his face.

"Ever?" Puck asked.

"I was a weird kid and kept to myself a lot, then I got pregnant. I tend to push people away." Kurt admitted.

"Don't push me away, I want to be your friend, Kurt. I swear I'll make you get this."

"It's nice having a friend." Kurt said, pulling into Puck's driveway.

"I'll see you at school on Monday." Puck said. "Thanks for the ride." He turned to the backseat and waved to Kassie. "Bye Kassie."

"Bye Uck!" she called back to him. Once Puck was inside, Kurt turned to the baby.

"You want to go to the park?" he asked and she cheered.

He drove home and got her stroller, walking her down to the park by their house. He let her run around, getting her energy out, and then pushing her on the swings for a while. When she began yawning, he took her out of the swings and put her back in the stroller, walking her home. He made a quick dinner of sandwiches for both of them and they ate in peaceful silence. After dinner, he let her play while he cleaned up the house a little bit. He picked up, dusted, and vacuumed.

By the time was done, Kassie was half asleep on the floor. He smiled at her and picked her up, taking her downstairs and putting her to bed. Then he went back upstairs and was greeted by his father walking in the door. "You're home early!"

"Yeah, finished up that car and decided to close up shop." Burt told him. "Is there anything to eat?" he asked.

"I can make you some dinner." Kurt told him. Burt smiled warmly at his son. "Or I have left over chicken from yesterday."

"Chicken sounds good." Kurt got up to reheat the food. "Where's Kassie?"

"She went down early tonight, she had a long day." Kurt smiled.

"Anything bad?" Burt questioned, knowing how nervous Kurt had been about Kassie meeting the teenagers.

"No, she did really well at Glee Club. Everyone loved her and she was behaving herself." Kurt smiled widely. "She really likes Puck."

"He seems like a nice kid." Burt agreed.

"Yeah." Kurt said.


	3. Chapter 3

Life continued to be good to Kurt. He and Puck had gone to Breadstix (with Kassie) and had a blast. Slowly, Kurt formed more friendships with the other kids in Glee. Rachel came over to his house quite a bit and really loved little Kassie. Rachel also introduced Kurt and Kassie to her two gay dads and he was able to talk with them about raising a child while being gay. It was helpful and the two Berry men were very, very nice.

About two months before Regional's, Brad got very sick. Kurt played the piano at a couple rehearsals, as did Rachel and Quinn. A few people came in to substitute, and finally, after two weeks Mr. Schuester came in smiling. "Hey guys! I've finally found us a permanent piano player to replace Brad. He's an old friend of mine. Everybody welcome Ryan Jameson!"

Kurt's heart stopped at those words. His breathing sped up and he couldn't catch his breath. Puck was sitting next to Kurt and noticed the change in the other boy. "Kurt?"

Kurt shook his head and jumped up, running out of the room. "Kurt?" Mr. Schuester called, but Kurt was already gone. "What happened?"

Nobody knew, but Puck grabbed his cell phone and texted Kurt. "_Whr r u?"_

"_Girl's bathroom_." Came the reply.

"Mr. Schuester, I'm going to go find him." said Puck and he nodded at him, absently. Puck headed to the girl's bathroom closest to the choir room. When he pushed on the door, he found it locked. He knocked on the door. "Kurt? It's Puck."

The lock clicked immediately and Kurt opened the door. "I want to go home." he said, tears streaming down his face.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I…I can't talk about it. Please, will you take me home?" Kurt begged. It was fourth period, but Puck didn't care. He nodded and left Kurt for a minute to go back and get his backpack.

"Mr. Schue, Kurt is really sick. I'm going to take him home." Puck said, grabbing both of their bags.

"Sure. I'll excuse you both for the rest of the day. Tell Kurt we hope he feels better." Mr. Schuester said. Puck nodded and headed back to the bathroom. He tried to put his arm around Kurt's shoulder, but Kurt couldn't handle it and pulled away. Puck took Kurt's keys and the two headed to his car. Puck drove them to Kurt's house, watching the boy falling apart in the seat next to him.

The sound of a key in the door made Burt startle. Kassie was taking a nap and it was the middle of the day. "Kurt?" he asked, as the two boys walked through the door. "Kurt, what happened?" Burt sounded panicked.

Once they were in the door, Kurt ran to his father and threw himself into his arms. Burt rubbed his back gently, hugging him tightly. "Dad!" Kurt sobbed.

"What happened?" Burt asked again.

"I'm going to go. Kurt, call me later?" he asked and Kurt nodded. Puck realized that he didn't want to talk about whatever was going on with him there. Once Puck was gone, Burt led Kurt over to the couch and sat them both down.

"Okay, kid, spill." Burt said, still holding on to his son.

"T-there's a new p-p-piano player at Glee Club. Dad, it's Mr. Jameson." Kurt's voice trembled.

Burt's arms tightened around Kurt protectively. "It'll be okay, Kurt. We're going to get this taken care of."

"I can't go back to school, not while he's there. What if he comes after me again?" Then Kurt let out a horrified gasp. "What if he comes after Kassie?"

"Kurt, you need to relax and calm down. He's not going to come after you or Kassie. We won't let him. I'm going to call your principal and we're going to get him out of there." Burt told him.

"I didn't even know he was out of jail, did you?" Kurt asked. The silence told him everything he needed to know. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to scare you. I should have told you, Kurt, I'm sorry." Kurt nodded.

"I'm going to go see Kassie. I just…I just need to see her." Kurt said, standing up. Burt nodded in understanding. Burt called the school and set up a meeting with Principal Figgins for later that day. Burt left Kurt to his own devices for about twenty minutes, before succumbing to the same fate as his son. He needed to see his child and headed downstairs. Kurt was sitting in his bed, back against the headboard and knees drawn up. Laying against his chest, her head on his shoulder, was Kassie. She was still asleep and Kurt held her tightly, rocking gently.

"Kurt?" Burt whispered, making him look up. "I have an appointment set up to meet with your principal after school. Do you want to come?"

"No, Dad, I can't go there. Not with…not with him there." Kurt's voice was panicked.

"Okay, relax. I don't really want you here by yourself either." Burt said. "Could you call Puck?" he asked.

"That means I'll have to tell him. I don't know if I can…" Kurt looked up at Burt.

"You should tell him, you have nothing to be embarrassed about, Kurt. And someone should know, especially if things with that moronic principal of your don't go well." Kurt's eyes widened.

"Dad…" Kurt started, but Burt just placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"We'll cross that bridge if we reach it." Burt wrapped his arms around Kurt and held him, while Kurt held Kassie, and they sat like that until Kassie started to stir. She blinked and then looked up.

"Daddy!" she was pleased, Kurt was almost never home during the day. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you so much, do you know that?" he asked her. She nodded her head.

"Love you more." she said, and his eyes filled with tears again. Kurt texted Puck and asked if he would come over. Kurt meant after school, so he was startled when fifteen minutes later his doorbell rang. Burt answered the door, because Kurt was so terrified that Mr. Jameson was going to come after him.

"Puck?" Burt asked.

"Kurt texted me. He asked me to come over." Puck told him. Kurt peaked out from the basement door and realizing it was only Puck, emerged the rest of the way. He was still holding onto Kassie.

"I meant after school." Kurt said, smiling at him. "I…need to talk to you." Kurt looked at Burt. "Dad, can you take Kassie…I don't really want her hearing this."

"Sure." Burt took the baby and Kurt gestured to the basement. Once they were downstairs, Puck really looked at Kurt. He looked like hell.

"Is this about why you ran out of Glee?" he asked.

"Yes." Kurt said, taking a deep breath to steel himself. "Do you remember when I told all of you that I was raped?" He asked. Puck nodded, eyes widening. "Mr. Jameson was my piano teacher. He took advantage of me, molested, and finally raped me. The end result, of course, is sitting upstairs with my father."

"The new piano teacher is Kassie's other father?" Puck sounded aghast. "But…how?"

"He was in jail. I don't really know much else, other than the fact that a child molester now has a job in a school. He's in a school, Puck, MY school, around kids. What if it happens to someone else? What if he came after me again?" By now, Kurt was in tears and Puck couldn't help moving forward and pulling the smaller boy into a hug. "My dad…he's going to meet with Principal Figgins, but I just can't go back there if he's there."

"It'll be okay." Puck felt sick, how could an adult take advantage of a child. Then he thought about all their friends in Glee and understood exactly why Kurt was so panicked. "Your dad will sort it out. And if not, we can talk to Mr. Schuester and explain what's-"

"Puck, he's out of jail!" Kurt interrupted. "What if he comes after my daughter?"

"We won't let him! One of Rachel's dad's is a lawyer…I'm sure he can help us." Puck insisted. Finally, Kurt couldn't do anything other than sob. Puck held on to Kurt and let him cry, rubbing his back, and murmuring nonsense at him. Eventually, he cried himself to sleep. An hour later, Burt appeared at the top of the stairs.

"I need to head to the school. Would you mind staying with them?" Burt asked.

"No, that's fine." Puck agreed. He moved over to the stairs, met Burt halfway, and took Kassie. "He's…asleep." he said.

Burt just pressed his lips together and nodded. "I'll be back when I'm done. I don't know how long this is going to take."

Puck smiled at him and Burt left. Puck moved Kassie over to the DVD collection and let her pick out a movie. He really didn't know what else to do with her. Then he turned on the TV and started the movie. She kept trying to wiggle out of his arms and go see Kurt. Finally, after being thwarted several times, she went into a huge temper tantrum. She was screaming, crying, and kicking and Puck was at a loss. Thankfully, the yelling woke Kurt.

"What?" Kurt asked, sitting up and yawning. "Kassie!" He chastised, as he saw his daughter kick Puck.

"Sorry, I was trying to keep her from waking you up. Guess I didn't do such a hot job." Puck said.

"Daddy!" Kassie cried, running to him now that Puck had let her loose.

"Kassandra Elizabeth Hummel." He said, in a stern voice that made her stop in her tracks. "You do NOT kick. You know better than that." Kurt looked to Puck. "Did you tell her to stop more than once?" he asked. Puck nodded, feeling bad for ratting out the child. "Time out. Please go sit on the naughty stool for two minutes." He directed her.

She pouted and glared, but a glare back from Kurt made her turn and walk to the stool. Once she was seated, Kurt started an egg timer that sat by the bed. Then he turned to Puck. "I'm really sorry for everything. She's not usually like that."

"It's okay." Puck shrugged.

"When her two minutes are up, I'll have you go get her from the time out. Tell her to apologize, then give her a hug once she does." Kurt instructed.

"Where did you learn all this?" Puck asked amazed. Kurt blushed.

"Supernanny." He shrugged. They sat in silence until the timer rang and Kurt nodded at Kassie. Puck moved over to her, crouched in front of her, and did what Kurt said, asking for an apology.

"Sowwie, Uck." She said, tearfully.

"It's okay. Can I have a hug?" he asked, unprepared for the little dynamo to launch herself into his arms. Kurt came over then, leaning down, and holding his arms out.

"How about Daddy?" he asked. She jumped into his arms next. Kurt, of course, was prepared for this and caught her easily, standing up with her in his arms.

"Park?" she asked, and Kurt felt his breath catch. He didn't feel safe outside, especially not with Kassie. Jameson had never met Kassie and he planned on keeping it that way.

"How about the backyard?" Kurt offered. Their backyard was fairly secluded and it was fenced off. She nodded and Kurt changed her diaper, put her in play clothes, and the three of them headed outside. About an hour later, Burt came home. The look on his face was grim.

"Kurt? Puck? We need to talk." he said. The two boys exchanged a look and Kurt picked up Kassie out of the swing.

"Papa!" she called, running to him once she was on the ground. He picked her up and gave her a big kiss.

"Were you a good girl today?" He asked and she nodded.

"We had one little incident, but other than that, she's been fine." Kurt told him. Burt nodded, putting Kassie back down. "Hey kiddo, why don't you go back to your movie? Daddy will be down soon to watch with you, okay?"

Kassie nodded and headed downstairs, while Kurt, Burt, and Puck took seats at the kitchen table. "It's bad, isn't it Dad?"

"It's not terrible, but it's not good either." Burt wouldn't lie to him, it was one of the many things he loved about his father. "That…_moronic_ principal of yours says that he has to launch a formal investigation. He says he can't fire someone just based on word alone."

"But he was in JAIL!" Kurt wailed.

"I know, but apparently his record was expunged and it only shows that he served some time and then got out for good behavior. The reasons why are not listed on his record." Burt explained.

"That's not fair. He's a child molester, working in a public school!" Kurt protested yet again.

"I know." Burt said again, patiently. "He says he's looking into it, but…" Burt trailed off.

"What?" Kurt asked, feeling the panic rise again.

"He says he can't suspend him during the investigation. He's going to continue to work at the school while it goes on." Burt felt sick having to tell Kurt this, especially when Kurt's face crumbled and tears fell from his eyes.

"Dad, I can't go back to school." Kurt pleaded.

"Wait a minute." Puck said. "This is ridiculous! I think we need to get the Glee Club together and we can figure something out. Rachel's dad…er…one of them is a lawyer! This isn't fair!" Puck protested. Burt suppressed a smile at Puck's reaction. God strike him down if he was wrong, but Burt knew in that instant that the boys would end up married.

"Kurt?" Burt asked his son. Kurt looked up wearily.

"I'll just stay home until this all passes over." Kurt said, sounding defeated.

"Like hell you will!" Puck yelled, then blushed. "Um, sorry sir." Burt shrugged. "No way should you have to miss school because of this. I'm calling the rest of the Glee club." And before Kurt could say another word, Puck had texted the entire Glee Club, telling them to meet at Kurt's house as soon as possible.

"Let me go change Kassie." Kurt said, fighting back a smile. He would have never believed that someone would fight so hard for him. He put Kassie in a cute outfit and made sure her diaper was changed. Puck headed downstairs to wait with Kurt. He sat bouncing her on his knee, while they waited for the others to show up. Kassie had picked up on his nervousness and was gently patting Kurt's face.

Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang and Burt went to answer it. He was greeted by ten teenagers standing on his doorstep. "You must be the Glee Club. I'm Mr. Hummel, come on in. Kurt and Puck are in the basement. Head through the kitchen, first door on your right." The teens trouped through the house and into the kitchen, heading downstairs.

"What's going on guys?" Mercedes asked.

"We got a 911 Emergency text from Puck…" Santana sounded disbelieving.

Rachel had, predictably moved over to Kassie. "Hi baby!"

"Shell!" Kassie yelled, holding her arms out for Rachel to take her.

"Um, I…" Kurt blushed, and looked to Puck for help.

"We'll tell you in a minute. Kurt, do you want your dad to take Kassie?" Rachel pouted, but Kurt nodded. "Here, I can take her upstairs." Puck disappeared for a minute and then returned.

"Kurt?" Quinn finally asked, after a moment of awkward silence. The cheerleader was not his favorite person, but she had her moments. "Is this about why you left Glee in such a hurry today?"

"Yeah." Kurt finally said. "The new piano player…he was my piano teacher when I was twelve." He said, taking a deep breath, willing himself to get through this. "He's who…who…" Kurt began to cry and looked to Puck for help.

"He's Kassie's other father." Puck said, quietly.

"Oh my God." Finn breathed.

"Oh, Kurt." Rachel said, leaning in to take him into her arms. Kurt kind of fell into her, sobbing into her shoulder. Immediately, the gleeks surrounded him, putting a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his back, just letting Kurt know that they were there for him. "What can we do?"

"T-there's really nothing TO do. My dad went to the school, but Figgins says there has to be a formal investigation and they can't do anything to him until its complete. He'll be the piano player until…I don't know when." Kurt let out a shuddering breath.

"We will NOT allow this!" Rachel said. "We'll call my dad. And-"

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I do NOT want to be in Glee club with him." Quinn said. Everyone else nodded. "Let's talk to Mr. Schuester, tell him we don't want Mr. Jameson as the piano player." Everyone else nodded along.

"Kurt, baby, we're going to stand behind you on this, okay?" Mercedes said, very gently. Kurt looked around the room, and everyone was nodding, even Santana and Brittany.

"Really?" he asked.

"A-a-a-absolutely." Tina stuttered.

Rachel picked up her cell phone and called Mr. Schuester. She explained that none of the members of New Directions would be coming to class or practice until Mr. Jameson was out of the building. She explained why and he agreed immediately. Burt had called the police and gotten a restraining order against him. He was not allowed within 100 feet of Kurt OR Kassie.

Figgins was put under the school board's spotlight as to how it was he overlooked a criminal record, especially with the kind of record Jameson had. Ryan Jameson was forced to move out of the state and Kurt breathed easy again.

A month later, Kurt and Puck were in Kurt's basement doing homework, Kassie playing quietly nearby. Kurt suddenly put his pen down and turned to Puck.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure." Puck responded, erasing an answer he had just written and looking intently at his math book.

"Why have I never met your family?" he asked. Puck froze. "I mean, you've met my family, you're over here all the time…which is fine!" He said, hastily, not wanting to antagonize his best friend.

"Uh…" Puck stuttered, refusing to look up.

"I'm sorry, I just wondered why…is it because I'm gay? Or because of Kassie?" Kurt was flushing red in embarrassment. Puck's head flew up at those words and he looked across the table.

"No! Oh God, Kurt, I'm so sorry that I ever made you feel like that." Puck sighed. "I knew this would come up eventually." Puck closed his math book and gestured to Kurt's couch. "I think I need to tell you something."

Kurt closed his own book and the two boys moved over to the couch. "At my old school, I was really popular. I was the bully, like Karofsky and Azimio. I was a jock and at the very top of the social ladder. I also slept around, Kurt, a lot. I pretty much slept with every girl in the school. I'm really, really ashamed of that now." Puck sighed deeply, as Kurt just watched him. "I slept with the girlfriend of my best friend and…she got pregnant." Kurt's eyes widened in shock, but Puck still saw no judgment in those baby blues. "It's a really long story, she tried to pass it off as his, but they had never had sex. It came out that it was mine and I tried to be there for her. I wanted to keep the baby and she wanted to give it up. In the end, though, it was her choice. I asked her if I could be there when she had the baby, so I could see it…her…and say hello and goodbye. She agreed." Kurt reached out and placed a hand on Puck's forearm. "She went into labor in her seventh month, two months early, and she lost the baby." A tear slipped from his eye, but he kept his gaze on the couch. If he'd looked up, he would have seen that Kurt was crying, too. "She was so tiny. I'll never forget that for as long as I live. She was my daughter, my baby, and the girl…" Puck sighed. "She was furious - at me, at life, at the world. My mom and I decided it was probably in both of our best interests for us to move. My little sister is young enough that it didn't make too much of a difference for her. That's why I didn't care about becoming 'popular' or fitting in or anything like that. I was so shallow and I hated my life."

"Puck…" Kurt said.

"I'm really glad that we're friends. I hated being that guy, the class slut." He said, looking up at Kurt. "I've never brought you to my house, because I didn't want you to see any part of who I used to be. And…this probably sounds stupid, but I love being around Kassie. It…reminds me of what I lost, in a good way."

Kurt suddenly decided to throw caution to the wind, and he leaned in and kissed Puck. Puck froze for a minute and then returned the kiss with fervor. When they finally broke apart for air, Kurt grinned widely. "I've wanted to do that for so long."

"Me too." Puck grinned back at him. They leaned back in for another kiss, when Kassie's voice interrupted them.

"Daddy and Uck! Kissy, kissy!" She called out and they both cracked up. Kurt stood up to pick her up and brought her back to the couch.


	4. Chapter 4

**Part Four**

The school year finally ended and for once, Kurt was actually sad to see summer come around. He would miss his friends and the Glee Club. There had been a little scare when they lost regional's, but in the end, the club was saved to return again next year. The summer passed in a blur. Kurt threw Kassie a birthday party and invited the Glee Club. Puck became a pretty permanent fixture in the Hummel household, and Kurt and Kassie were often found at the Berry's.

Kurt had decided to enroll Kassie in three-year-old preschool. Come fall, at noon, Burt would drop Kassie off and the class ended at 3:30. Kurt would be able to pick her up every day (except for Tuesday, Glee day, when Burt would pick her up). He was excited that she was going to be getting out and socializing with kids her own age. She seemed to have no problem making friends with Kurt's friends, but he wanted her to fit in - like he never had.

He shouldn't have ever worried, Kassie loved and thrived in preschool. Everyday she had another new adventure to tell Kurt, Puck, and Burt about. Kurt and Puck dated, fell in love, and were absolutely crazy about each other. They were always together and even when they fought (which they did often), they both knew that the other one loved them and that they would make up. Eventually, Kassie's "Uck" changed to Pop, and Kurt's "Puck" changed to Noah as Puck became a permanent figure in the Hummel household.

When Kurt and Noah started their senior year in high school, Kassie started kindergarten. Kurt cried when she lined up with all the other children. He wasn't the only one, most of the parents were a little weepy. As the kids started to go in, Kassie turned and waved and Kurt and Noah, and blew them a kiss. They blew one back to her and once she was out of sight, Kurt let himself fall apart in Noah's arms.

Halfway through their senior year, Noah asked Burt's permission to propose to Kurt. Burt agreed, teasing Noah that he couldn't believe it took him so long. Noah proposed during Prom and Kurt had tearfully accepted. They would both be attending Ohio State, the Lima campus. For the last two years, Noah had worked part time at Burt's garage, finding that he truly enjoyed mechanics. Both boys had saved up enough money that they would be getting an apartment in Lima to share, along with Kassie. Since Kassie would be in first grade, she would be in school all day, that left Kurt and Noah to take day classes, without worrying about what to do with her.

Burt was sad that his children (and he considered Noah one of his children) and his grandchild were moving out, but happy that they would be close by. In the summer between graduating high school and starting college, Kurt and Noah had gotten married. It was a small ceremony, with only their families and New Directions attending. Kassie had been the flower girl, Burt had been Kurt's best man, and Mr. Schuester had stood up for Noah. It was amazing.

Two years after they graduated college, Kurt found himself pregnant. For twelve year old Kassie, it was a mixed blessing for the pre-teen. She was thrilled to be getting a baby brother or sister, but she was very worried about her Pop's reaction.

Kurt was seven months pregnant, huge, and uncomfortable. He had been confined to best rest because he had gone into pre-term labor (which had terrified Noah beyond belief). He was flipping through television channels, bored to tears, when there was a knock at his bedroom door. He looked up to see Kassie standing there, shuffling her feet in obvious nervousness.

"Hey Kassie." He said, motioning her in.

"I was just wondering if you wanted some company?" she asked. He smiled widely.

"Absolutely. Come here." he said, patting the empty space next to him. The girl moved over, climbing in bed next to him and snuggling as close as she could get. "Hey, what's wrong sweetheart?" he asked.

"It's silly. You're going to laugh at me." She said, her voice somewhat muffled since her face was pressed against his chest.

"I won't laugh." He told her.

"Promise?" she asked and he agreed. "Promise you won't tell Pop?"

"Now that promise I can't make. Not until I hear what you have to say." He told her. She nodded, expecting the answer. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm just…worried that when the baby comes, Pop will realize that he loves him or her more." Then she added, hastily. "I know you won't, you're my dad, but this will be Pop's biological child." The misery in her voice made his heart want to break. He pulled back to look his daughter square in the eye.

"Pop loves you more than anything. Yes, he will love the new baby, so will I, and so will you. But nothing, NOTHING will ever change the way either of us feel about you. Let me ask you a question." He waited until she nodded. "Do you love me more than Pop?"

"No!" she gasped in horror. "I love you both the same."

"Exactly." He said, pulling her tightly to him. "I love you, Pop loves you, and we always will." She nodded, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I love you, too, Daddy." She sighed.

Two months (very, very long months, if you asked Kurt) later, Kurt's water broke and he went into labor. As luck would have it, Noah and Kassie were out and Burt was staying with him in case something like this were to happen. Burt joked about Kurt at least being the right age this time. Kurt wasn't amused, and called Noah in a panic, and his husband agreed to meet them at the clinic.

Kurt had seen a midwife for this pregnancy and planned on having a natural water birth. Kassie would be attending the birth, as would Burt, and their midwife Brenda. Brenda had been amazing and Kurt really loved her. His first birth had gone really fast and he had heard that second births tended to go even faster. Unfortunately, this didn't seem to be the case for Kurt.

Kurt clung to Noah's hand as he writhed, moaned, and cried through the pain assaulting him. "I swear, it didn't hurt this much with Kassie." he cried, during a particularly brutal contraction.

"That's because you had an epidural with Kassie." Burt joked and received a death glare from Kurt. Fifteen hours after Kurt's water had broken, he found himself with an armful of a wiggling little girl. There was not a dry eye in the room.

"Hello sweetheart." Kurt said, kissing the bloody baby. "You are so beautiful. Oh God, Dad, she looks just like Kassie!" Kurt exclaimed, looking up at his father.

"Yeah she does." Burt's voice was gruff with tears.

"Daddy, she's so pretty!" Kassie said, tears running down her own face. "I can't believe I have a little sister!"

"Pop?" Kurt asked, looking at Noah. He was crying, too, staring at the baby in awe.

Noah pulled Kassie onto his lap, hugging the older girl tightly. "Our family is perfect." He said.


	5. Chapter 5

Kassie Hummel was twelve years old. Her parents were young, and cute, and her friends often commented on how they wished their parents looked like Kassie's. Sure, she got the occasional problems for having two gay dads, but she had never really thought about it. It was how she had grown up and she never knew anything different. She had always taken for granted Pop's presence in her life. She had heard the story of how they had met in high school and how Kassie had brought them together.

But none of that had ever really clicked before. She had an assignment to do a family tree and as she was filling it in, it occurred to her that her Pop wasn't biologically related to her. She came home in tears and headed immediately to her bedroom, bypassing her daddy, who was waiting for her in the kitchen, like usual.

Kurt took one befuddled minute to wonder what had happened before following his daughter. He knocked on her door. "Kassie? What happened, sweetheart?" He asked, concerned.

"Go away!" she yelled. She had never told him to go away before. He knocked harder.

"Kassandra, let me in right now or I'm coming in anyway." He heard a muffled sob.

"It's open." She replied, sadly. She was face down on her bed, crying into Boo-Boo, her well-worn stuffed rabbit.

"Baby, what happened?" Kurt asked, moving over and sitting down next to her. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and waited for his daughter to explain what had caused such grief. Finally, she turned over and threw herself into his arms. "Oh, honey, what's got you so upset?" Kurt asked, after she had cried herself out.

"We're doing a family tree in social studies." Kassie said, her voice muffled because her face was pressed into Kurt's stomach. But Kurt heard her clearly and tensed at these words. "I put you and Pop in right away, but then I started thinking about how you and Pop met. Pop…he isn't my dad, is he?" Kassie asked.

"Pop is absolutely your father, in every way that matters." Kurt defended, immediately. "But, no, he is not your biological father." He admitted.

Kassie pulled back to look at her Daddy. Kurt rearranged them, so they were sitting back against the headboard, Kassie almost completely in Kurt's lap. "Who is my other father? Or…do I have a mother?" She asked, suddenly aghast.

"No, baby, I gave birth to you. But, you do have another father." He agreed.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"I knew that one day I was going to have to tell you this, but I hoped that you would be a little older." Kurt finally said. He turned so he was looking in Kassie's eyes. "I want you to know, I have NEVER, EVER regretted what happened, because it gave me you. I love you so much, Kassie, you'll never know how much I love you. Okay?" Kassie felt sick, but she nodded.

"Daddy…how old were you when you had me?" Kassie asked after a minute of silence.

"I was twelve years old when I got pregnant, but I was thirteen when I gave birth." Kurt told her.

"You…you were my age?" She gasped. "Daddy…what happened?"

Kurt hugged her tightly. "I took piano lessons twice a week, but the teacher was a very bad man. He made me have sex with him, and very soon after I got pregnant with you." Kurt said, opting for honesty.

Kassie's eyes had widened in horror and tears started to fall down her face again. "You were RAPED?" She asked. "My…other father…raped you?" She suddenly felt sick and leaned away from Kurt to throw up. Kurt rubbed her back lightly. "How can you even look at me?"

"Come here." He said, gently, leading her up from the bed and over to the mirror in her room. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

"I see us." She said, confused.

"Let me tell you what I see." Kurt continued. "I see your beautiful brown hair, longer than mine because you're a girl, but the same hair. Feel it." He encouraged, and she ran her hands through her hair first, then through his hair. "Now look at our eyes…they're exactly the same color. We have the same dusting of freckles on our noses, we have the same nose, same mouth, same chin." Kurt smiled affectionately at her. "When I see you studying hard, and you chew the end of the pen, I see Pop struggling in school. When we sing songs from musicals together, all three of us, I see some of the best times in my life." Kurt brushed a strand of hair from her face, and a tear from her cheek. "And when I look at you, I see the best thing that ever happened to me, including your Pop."

Kassie let out a shuddering breath and looked up. "But…" she started.

"Think for just a second. You're twelve years old and it just now occurred to you that Pop isn't related to you. That means that Pop and I have done our jobs. We've always seen you as our daughter."

"Don't you blame me?" Kassie asked.

"Blame you for what, baby?" Kurt asked softly. "I certainly don't blame you for what the piano teacher did."

"But…if I got pregnant now, my entire life would change. School would be so hard…" Kassie despaired.

"Kassie, I won't lie to you…I never have and I never will. It was hard, raising a baby while attending school, but it was so worth it. I would never take easy over you, not ever in a million years. And remember, you brought Pop and me together. I love you more than life itself."

"I love you, too, Daddy." Kassie said, tears still falling down her face. Kurt pulled her into a tight hug and held her closely.

"Come on, let's go make some hot chocolate and watch a movie." Kurt said, after a few minutes.

"I have homework." She protested, half-heartedly.

"I'll call you out of school tomorrow." Kurt said, and Kassie smiled then, reaching out her hand to take Kurt's.

"Can we watch Howl's Moving Castle?" she asked.

"We can watch anything you want, princess." Kurt told her.

Later that night, after Kassie had gone to bed, Kurt had sobbed to Noah. He had hoped to never have to tell his daughter, but he also wouldn't lie to her. He had made that decision many years ago. When Kassie first started calling Noah "Pop", they'd had a very long talk about what to do when she realized that he wasn't her biological father. Kurt had been all for telling Kassie that Noah was her dad, but they realized soon that that could easily blow up in their faces. So they made a pact that day to tell her the truth when she asked for it.

The knowledge that she was a product of rape was hard, but it was impossible to deny the love that her family had for her. In the end, Kassie realized that it didn't matter who her parents were…if they were related by blood or had just chosen her. Daddy and Pop loved her, Papa loved her, and nothing would change that. And then, Daddy got pregnant. Kassie had worried for months, until finally talking to her Daddy about Pop and if his love would change. Daddy had assured her that it wouldn't, Pop assured her that it wouldn't, even Papa had promised.

Kassie still worried, until the day her little sister was born. In the moment that Daddy held the new baby in his arms, staring at her, and telling everyone that she looked like Kassie, Pop pulled her into his arms. Kassie knew then that Pop would always love her, no matter what. She laid her head against his shoulder, thrilled with her family, even if it wasn't the same as everyone else's.


End file.
